CSI President Tomas Morales is leaving for Cal State San Bernardino

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- College of Staten Island President Dr. Tomas Morales is leaving the school after nearly five years to lead California State University at San Bernardino, the Advance has learned.

Administrators in California will issue a press statement at 1 p.m., according to the office of California State chancellor Charles B. Reed.

Morales confirmed the move and said the decision was made in the last 24 hours after consulting with family, including his wife, Evy. Morales, who has roots in California, will take over a school with 17,000 students located between Los Angeles and the Palm Springs. The college has nationally known business and entrepreneurship programs.

No timetable has been given for his departure from CSI or his arrival at Cal State San Bernardino.

At 11:40 a.m., Dr. Morales issued a statement where he said it has been a privilege to be part of the CSI community. "After working at numerous universities across the country and visiting countless campuses, I can honestly tell you that we have been privileged to serve the College of Staten Island community and work with an exceptional faculty, a dedicated staff and committed student body," he said. "I especially appreciate the extraordinary people of Staten Island who never failed to impress me with their individual and collective dedication to the enhancement of this great borough."

He also thanked CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and the system's Board of Trustees for their support. "But more than anything else, Evy and I want to say thank you. It's been an honor."

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Dr. Morales took the reins at the College of Staten Island from outgoing president Dr. Marlene Springer in August of 2007.

Reared in the South Bronx, and a product of the city and state's public schools and universities, Morales, 53, was appointed CSI president the previous June after a sometimes bumpy nine-month national search.

Dr. Morales' secured the financing to build residence halls for 440 students and faculty with the possibility of attracting students not only from around the city and country, but could draw scholars from around the world, lending an international flavor to the institution.

For the previous six years, he had been university provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he oversaw seven colleges, one professional school and the university library, which together served more than 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students.

Prior to heading west, he had served for seven years as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the City College of New York.

At CSI, his goals at the outset were to boost education standards, help students transition from college into the job market, and bolster ties between the school and the community.

"It's important for the college to be a partner in the economic development and furthering the Island's prosperity in all of its manifestations," he said, adding he plans to reach out to non-profit groups, cultural institutions and businesses here. "As a public institution, this college has an obligation to be responsive to the needs of the community. We transform lives here."

The challenges he faced also included the practical one of lack of parking space and getting the best use out of the grounds of the 204-acre campus.

Today, enrollment, the number of full-time students and the number of bachelor's degrees awarded have all spiked. In addition, increasing numbers of professors are coming to CSI after doing postdoctoral work at prestigious universities, such as the Massachusetts Institution of Technology, and are also migrating in from high-level think-tanks and research institutes.